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Conf USA, Sunbelt, Etc.

Posted By: Ben Dover
Date: 11 Aug 03, 8:50 pm

Conference USA

UAB: A spot on the UAB offensive line's depth chart opened on Wednesday with the announcement that sophomore guard Anthony Larry, a seven-game starter last season, has left the team. The 6-foot-4, 320-pound Larry told coaches he plans to transfer to Division I-AA Southeast Louisiana. Larry, who is from New Orleans, entered fall camp as the backup at left guard.

Memphis: West fueled the optimism by describing how well the first three days of preseason practice have progressed, talking about the team's character and work ethic and new defensive coordinator Joe Lee Dunn's rigorous sessions.
''I can't wait to get started,'' West said. ''I'm looking forward to watching our players play and our coaches coach. It will be a different football team. It will look like a team is supposed to look like.'' As for Dunn, the former Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Arkansas defensive coordinator, West said, ''He will make a big difference in our football program.'' The combination of Dunn's return - he was a Tiger defensive coordinator in the late 1980s and early 1990s - coupled with key returnees on offense in quarterback Danny Wimprine and running back DeAngelo Williams and the signing of a junior college punter (Brandon Roberson) have given the U of M faithful a reason to return to Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. West was so enamored with the defense's efforts that he took exception to the offense's approach Saturday, forcing that group to spend nearly 20 additional minutes on the field before releasing them for the day.

Cincinnati: In a switch, Bearcats defense might be team's top strength Young offense could need time to jell , Bill Koch
The Cincinnati Enquirer. The most recognizable player on the team is quarterback Gino Guidugli, who stands to break most of the school's passing records, but as the University of Cincinnati football players report to campus today, their strength lies in their defense.
"The defense dominated our spring game," UC coach Rick Minter said. "I don't think that's because Gino had a bad game. I think our defense can play. I think we're going to be pretty good, but they're going to have to be, because we're going to need time to grow on offense." The Bearcats lost their entire receiving corps, an accomplished group that included LaDaris Vann, UC's career receptions leader, and Jon Olinger, who was drafted in the fifth round by the NFL's Atlanta Falcons.

S Miss: Defense sets tone in first scrimmage. Preseason expectations have run high for the Southern Miss defense.
On Saturday, the Golden Eagles' defenders looked like they will be able to meet those high hopes and then some.
USM concluded its first day of two-a-day practices Saturday afternoon with its first scrimmage of the summer, and the defense dominated the proceedings. Aside from goal-line session work, USM's offense did not produce a touchdown. In fact, the Eagles rarely managed consecutive first downs in nearly two hours of work at Roberts Stadium.
"We had way too many missed assignments on offense that keeps you from having a chance to make plays," USM coach Jeff Bower said. "We've kind of thrown a lot at them early, but that's where we really have to make some improvement there."
The Golden Eagles still are learning the ropes of the new offensive scheme installed by first-year coordinator Rip Scherer. While Scherer has said the offense was "light years" ahead of where it was in the spring, Saturday made it clear there still are kinks to be worked out. It didn't help that USM was going short-handed up front. Starting center Jim Hicks was limited with a banged-up shoulder, while third-string center Robbie D'Angelo will be sidelined for another week after tearing scar tissue in his right knee earlier in the week. That left back-up Addaryl Edwards as the lone healthy center and necessitated some juggling. For example, starting guard Chris White played center in goal-line drills. "We were thin some guys, so that limited personnel there," Bower said. "But I thought for the first scrimmage, the effort was good. They got after it pretty good and that was good to see." The numbers told the story during the situational work. Starting quarterback Micky D'Angelo was 1-for-6 for 4 yards. Backup Dustin Almond was 3-for-5 for 27 yards. Freshman Damion Carter was 3-for-5 for 29 yards. None threw an interception. In his post-scrimmage news conference following the Black-and-Gold game this spring, Southern Miss coach Jeff Bower made it crystal clear that junior Micky D'Angelo stood atop USM's depth chart at quarterback. At USM's Football Media Day Sunday morning, Bower said D'Angelo remained No. 1, though he hadn't completely closed sophomore Dustin Almond out of the starting job.

Rice: Rice appears ready on offense, where five starters return to guide the option, but the biggest area of concern is the defense, where only three full-time starters are back in a league full of explosive offenses. The Owls finished second in the WAC in scoring defense (26.9 points per game) and total defense (385.1 yards per game) last year but were susceptible to the big play and didn't create nearly enough turnovers. "We were a sound defensive team, but we didn't create as much as we needed to," said coach Ken Hatfield, who is 46-53-1 entering his 10th season at Rice. Hatfield promises the defense will be faster and more aggressive, beginning with the line. Tackle Jeremy Calahan is the only returning starter on the line, but young defensive ends Jimmy Shaw, a freshman, and sophomore John Syptak are promising talents. "We have a little bit more depth in the defensive line," Hatfield said. "We may have to play one or two of our freshmen. While they may not know everything, they do have the physical strength and quickness."
The anchor of the defense is Vanover, who battled through shoulder trouble last year to lead the team in tackles. He will be joined at linebacker by sophomore Adam Herrin. The Owls are green in the secondary and will need several freshmen to step up. Junior Raymorris Barnes is the only returning starter and will line up at free safety, making the move from cornerback. Freshman Andray Downs will join veteran Patrick Dendy at the all-important cornerback position. "We definitely have the talent to get it done," Dendy said. "There's going to be a lot of competition and the best man is going to play. We're young, but everybody is real anxious to get out there and be real aggressive." Offensively, the Owls are capable of putting up the kind of numbers they did in 2001 when they were second in the nation in rushing. They were sixth in the nation last year at 247.7 yards per game. The offensive line is experienced and versatile. The group did suffer a blow last week when starting guard Mike Holman had season-ending knee surgery, but there are plenty of other big and able bodies that can contribute. "Even though losing a person is detrimental to the entire unit, we still have the experience to come up and step up and take his place," senior tackle Chris DeMunbrun said. "We have seven or eight guys that have starting experience, and I think that's the key going into the season." Herm and backup Greg Henderson give the Owls two solid option quarterbacks. Herm has 22 career starts on his résumé with 1,853 career passing yards and 1,439 rushing yards.
"It's a great feeling to start the year with two experienced quarterbacks who've played for us and won for us, and our team has confidence in them," Hatfield said. "We have more good receivers since we've been here, all of our fullbacks are back and the running backs are experienced." The return of leading receivers Marcus Battle (26 catches, 430 yards) and Jeremy Hurd (11 catches, 284 yards) gives the Owls a pair of legitimate deep threats when they do throw the ball.

Tulane: Tulane lost three seniors who started on the defensive line, and two others who contributed and were a part of the Wave's eight-man rotation. But the losses that hurt the most were those of end Brandon Rottmayer and tackle Lonnie Crayton. The two would likely be working with the first unit had it not been for career-ending injuries last season. The Wave also lost linemen Jay Ashton and Chris Williams to academics. Ashton played 10 games and Williams eight last season.
As the team begins practice today in full pads, a handful of freshmen have a legitimate chance of emerging as starters when the Wave opens against Texas Christian University on Sept. 1 at the Superdome. The group includes linemen Billy Harrison (6-foot-3, 240), Alvin Johnson (6-3, 260), Justin Wade (6-2, 308), Tremell Jack (6-3, 265) and Taurean Brown (6-6, 290). "They're going to have a shot," defensive line coach Giff Smith said. "For 2 ½ weeks I'm going to be rotating players in and out. I have to see who's going to play." Although it's unlikely that more than two will grab a starting position, if they progress the way Smith believes they will, all could wind up seeing considerable playing time. "You don't have to have a freshman start," Scelfo said. "We would like some to contribute." Although the entire secondary will be filled with new starters, three of four running No. 1 on the defensive depth chart did combine for 10 starts last season. Carlis Jackson and Israel Route, both freshmen, could possibly play a role in the secondary or on special teams. While Scelfo thought both sides of the ball competed well Saturday and continues to be pleased with the talent level of his team, he also pointed out some of the mistakes. "Our competition level was good," he said. "But we put the ball on the ground too much on offense. The defense started off strong, but then lost interest. It's obvious we've got some athletes on defense and that's encouraging." A trio of freshmen earned Scelfo's praise after Saturday's workout, including Taurean Brown, a 6-6, 290-pound redshirt freshman defensive lineman from Katy, Texas and wide receiver Kenneth Guidroz, a true freshman from Port Sulphur, La., who were singled out for the second straight day.

Houston: The early stages of the UH quarterback derby suggest a four-way competition among Bassler, a third-year sophomore, incoming freshman Kevin Kolb, redshirt freshman Shang Moore of Worthing and sophomore Matt Stanley, a walk-on from Angelo State. Briles describes the position as "wide-open, just like it was two months or two weeks ago." Nick Eddy and Barrick Nealy, who started there last year, have become absentees. Bassler's only game experience consists of three series when the Cougars were running out the fourth quarter of their win last year over Louisiana-Lafayette. He was instructed not to throw a pass. Later in the season, he played on special teams to get on the field. Kolb started at quarterback on the freshman team at Stephenville in Briles' last year there, but the program retained the same offense, and Kolb directed the varsity the next three seasons. "Very familiar," he says of UH's offensive system as he attempts to take the next step up. "The more you run any offense, the more you learn about it."
After passing for 29 TDs and 3,357 yards his senior season, Kolb committed to Oklahoma State. What changed his mind?
"All our coaches started coming down here (from Stephenville), and so did I," he said. "I wanted to be part of it.
"I'm just taking it day by day," Kolb adds. "Blade is a good quarterback, and we all have a responsibility to our team to help in any way we can." Center Rex Hadnot delivers this point-blank review: "Kevin is very poised in there, and he knows a lot about the offense. Blade is really relaxed and confident. Whoever the quarterback is, it's up to us (the offensive unit) to give him the best chance to win the game." Should Moore, an all-purpose performer designated as a utility back, not win the job, he could still play quarterback at times in addition to lining up wide, in the slot or in the backfield. He's a proficient receiver, passer and runner who can fit into various phases of Briles' multiple alignments. He threw for 19 TDs with only four interceptions as a high school senior.
Stanley walked on two years ago from Angelo State, where he didn't play football. Former Baytown Sterling coach Kyle Gandy, his high school coach at San Angelo Central, recommended Stanley to Brad Peveto, then co-defensive coordinator on Dana Dimel's UH staff.

ECU: East Carolina definitely will look different under first-year head football coach John Thompson.
On offense, the Pirates have gone from primarily a one-back set to two backs. The defense has been retooled from what had become a reactive 3-4 alignment to a 4-3 that accents unpredictability. Thompson based the Pirates' offense -- a straight-ahead running game and a vertical passing attack -- on factors that gave him the greatest concern as a defensive coordinator . Then he hired longtime Clemson assistant Rick Stockstill, a former Florida State quarterback, to implement those features. A veteran offensive line returns with a fresh mandate -- be physically dominant -- from new position coach J.B. Grimes, whose resume includes stints at Virginia Tech and Texas A&M. Instead of looking to outscore opponents with high-powered offense, ECU wants to be able to wear folks down. Marcus White, a three-year letterman at wide receiver, will not attempt a comeback from injuries for his senior season. The Richmond, Va., native has battled extensive shoulder and ankle injuries over the past two seasons and missed the last four games of 2002. He had played in 25 games and made four starts over his ECU career while making 19 catches for 261 yards and two touchdowns. Defensive Philosophy: "We need to get the ball back more than anything else. We want our defense to be the same way as our offense will be, which is unpredictable and aggressive. We want our players to feel like they are not robots, that they have some freedom to take advantage of their God-given abilities. We do a lot of different things on defense, line up in a lot of different formations but the schemes and techniques are the same." "I don't think there is any question that our defense will blossom," Thompson said. "We have several guys, especially on the defensive line, that got much, much better. We've moved some people around at linebacker and will be okay there. We've still got to keep getting better in the secondary, however." "We will rush from the secondary and every guy on our defense has a blitz responsibility at one time or another," Thompson said of his philosophy with the defensive backs. "Pass defense starts with putting pressure on the quarterback. If the quarterback is in the pocket and comfortable with no pressure, there isn't a secondary in the country that can stop you. But by changing some people up front and cutting them loose, we'll be a better pass rushing team. We've got to be a better cover team. We've played well in the secondary this spring, but were limited in how much progress was made because of some injuries to key players."

TCU: Gary Patterson: "Senior Tyrone Sanders is coming back and has put himself in a position to have a great year. We have to find a guy who can play the boundary corner, replacing Jason Goss. Mark Walker came on strong at the end of the season and looks to be that guy entering the fall." The loss of Jason Goss may be a bigger hole to fill for the Horned Frog defense than the loss of LaMarcus McDonald. Goss was one of the top corners in the conference and often was on an island against the opponents' top receiver in one-on-one coverage. Cornerbacks coach Willie Mack Garza believes the returning group of corners can hold their own against anybody from an athletic and speed standpoint, but they will miss Goss's experience. Senior Tyrone Sanders is developing into a leader both on and off the field. He was more focused and gained confidence in the spring. A track sprinter for the Frogs in the spring, Sanders made strides in defending the deep ball and needs to become more of a playmaker this fall. Mark Walker came on strong at the end of the 2002 season and expectations are high for him entering the 2003 campaign. He works extremely hard on the field and in the weight room and has excellent ball skills. Blessed with good hands, Walker could also figure in as a return specialist. An injury to sophomore strong safety Ken Lewis put a damper on an otherwise good day for the TCU Horned Frogs, as they went through their second day of practice Friday morning. Lewis suffered the injury during one-on-one drills.

"It's a knee injury and it doesn't look good," said TCU head coach Gary Patterson following the two-hour workout. "Flander Malone will have to step up at that position, along with Brandon Williams. We may have to move Kenny Boyd to strong safety as well."
Lewis, a six-foot, 199-pounder from South Garland, was one of three true freshmen to play for the Horned Frogs in 2002. He was expected to be a key contributor in the Frogs' "nickel" and "dime" packages this fall. Gary Patterson: "At the strong safety position, someone has to replace Jared Smitherman. Flander Malone, Kenny Lewis and Brandon Williams will have to be able to fit that bill. I feel comfortable with the free and weak safety positions with Jeremy Modkins and Marvin Godbolt as the starters going into the fall, but we have to add depth. I have great hopes for Elvis Gallegos and Chris Peoples stepping up and giving us quality minutes."
The safety position is what separates the Horned Frog defense from most around the country. With their 4-2-5 scheme, the Frogs employ three safeties on the field at all times. Underrated strong safety Jared Smitherman and free safety Kenneth Hilliard have moved on, leaving a couple key holes to fill. Strides were made in the spring to solidify those two positions, but it remains an area of concern entering the fall. Weak safety Marvin Godbolt is the shining star of the group. Godbolt, a junior, has made 20 career starts, second on the squad behind only John Glud. A playmaker and a leader, the former Freshman all-American is a post-season honors candidate. Sophomore Jeremy Modkins moves from the weak to the free safety position to fill the hole vacated by Hilliard. Modkins, a brother of former TCU running back Curtis Modkins, has a big upside. The lone senior safety, Brandon Williams, projects as the probable starter at the strong safety position, but that position will be hotly contested in the fall with sophomores Ken Lewis and Flander Malone pushing for playing time.

South Florida: CLAMPING DOWN: Leavitt has decided to tighten the practice visitation policy and will admit media and any invited visitors for the first 45 minutes only. Additionally, Leavitt said the scrimmages will no longer be open to the media. ``There's just a lot of talk going around that there's a lot of Alabama people in the area,'' Leavitt said. ``Now, is there any truth to it? I don't know. But I know Alabama will probably close their practices down, Miami closed their practices down, I believe, and I've heard Florida State is going to shut theirs down. So we're really not doing anything that anybody else isn't doing.''Leavitt praised true freshmen WRs S.J. Green and Trae Williams. ``Those two guys worked with the [first team],'' Leavitt said. ``They looked good and are very mature. We're impressed.'' the toughest thing going into the first year of Conference USA is that we lost nine guys to professional football. Nine of our seniors, three played in Arena Football this year and six others are in NFL camps right now. And the biggest thing is how do you replace Marquel Blackwell? Well you probably don’t. He’s pretty good, he was a great playmaker for us. You know, we just have to go in another direction. And we lose our entire front four on defense. Those are huge spots to have to try to fill.

Mid Tenn State Carey Bailey probably has the toughest job of any coach at Middle Tennessee State.
The first-year defensive line coach must breathe some life into a unit that ranked last in sacks with 10 last season in the Sun Belt Conference. Turning up the heat, especially on the pass rush, figures to be his top priority.
''There's no doubt it all starts with the defensive line, and I was brought here for that reason,'' Bailey said. ''Our guys understand that we're only going to be as successful defensively as we are up front. We've got a long way to go, but we had a good summer.''

North Texas: North Texas began its fall workouts Wednesday without several players who were expected to fill key roles.
A total of six players were dismissed from the team for the 2003 season for a variety of reasons, UNT coach Darrell Dickey said.
Offensive lineman Dylan Lineberry, running back Michael Ruff, cornerback LeMario Hollis and defensive ends Ronnie Hull, Eli Hutchinson and Charles Dupree are all out for the season. "We were looking at every one of those guys to contribute this year," Dickey said. "This is a high number of players to be dismissed from the team for us." Dickey said the reasons for each player’s departure was unique, but would not comment on the reasons those players were dismissed. Each is expected to try to return at a later date. Of the players who will not be back, Lineberry may have left the biggest hole to fill. The Houston North Shore graduate was listed as the starter at left guard heading into spring practice. He spent the 2002 season as a redshirt. UNT lost three starters from last season’s offensive line to graduation, including both tackles. The unit helped clear the way for running back Kevin Galbreath to rush for 1,298 yards last season. UNT’s running game provided a spark for the Mean Green during their run to the Sun Belt Conference title and a win over Cincinnati in the New Orleans Bowl. Hollis was listed as the backup at left cornerback heading into spring drills.
Ruff was expected to move into the rotation at running back, while Hutchinson, Dupree and Griffith had a chance to move into prominent roles as backups. Heading into the 2003 football season, one of the old traits of the North Texas offense has been turned upside down. The Mean Green could once call on a veteran offensive line to lead the way for inexperienced players at other positions. This time, it’s UNT’s veteran quarterbacks and running backs who will lead the way for an inexperienced offensive line that will include two new tackles. Junior college transfer Lonnie Chambers and sophomore Weston Thaggard have taken the early lead in fall practice for the starting spots at tackle. Sophomore Jason May and junior college transfer Damion Nobles are also competing for time at the positions. "We feel good about the guys at those spots," UNT coach Darrell Dickey said. "Both Jason and Weston have some playing time, but they are both young, so we brought in two junior college players." Each of those tackles will play on an offensive line that is going through a rebuilding project this season. UNT returns preseason all-Sun Belt Conference pick Nick Zuniga at guard and Andy Brewster at center, but must replace the rest of the line that cleared the way for running back Kevin Galbreath to pile up 1,298 rushing yards last season. "The last two years we have had inexperienced quarterbacks with a veteran offensive line and veteran backfield," Dickey said. "This year we are hoping the quarterback can do some things to take pressure off of our offensive line."
UNT returns a pair of quarterbacks with extensive experience in Scott Hall and Andrew Smith. Running back Patrick Cobbs rushed for 1,160 yards in a reserve role the last two seasons and is expected to start this year. UNT’s tackles believe that they are ready to join those players in the starting lineup and help the Mean Green build on a pair of solid seasons. UNT has won the last two Sun Belt Conference titles and beat Cincinnati in the New Orleans Bowl to cap the 2002 season. "I don’t think we lost anything to tell you the truth," Chambers said. "Last year’s tackles had game experience, but the tackles this year are more agile and are quick off the ball."

Ark State: Defense holds upper hand in ASU scrimmage Whistles blew whenever Arkansas State quarterbacks were under heavy pressure during Sunday evening’s scrimmage. They sounded early and fairly often. ASU’s pass rushers generally held the upper hand, recording seven sacks during a 50-play session at Indian Stadium. Most of the pass completions came on short throws. “It’s very obvious that our pass protections are behind and we knew that coming in,” ASU head coach Steve Roberts said after his team’s first practice in full pads. “It’s hard to practice those until you see them live, and you see the rubs and the movements up front, the live rushes like we saw tonight. I’m confident we’ll get that.” ASU is trying to replace three full-time starters from last year’s offensive line that allowed only seven sacks all season. The Indians were also without junior center Tab Slaughter, who sat out the scrimmage with a sprained ankle and a slightly sprained knee. Playing against a defense that recorded 39 sacks last season only made Sunday’s assignment tougher for the O-line. ASU is trying to work four junior college transfers into its rotation on the offensive line. “We’ve got new guys and there are all the adjustments, the calls that they have to make. We’ve got to communicate better up front and we have to move our feet a little bit better,” Roberts said. “A lot of it may not have been a physical thing as much as it was thinking so much that they didn’t get their feet and hands in position to make the plays. Another thing that has to do with it is we have some good folks up front making some of those plays on defense.”

ULL: UL Lafayette’s offense lost its sharpness late in Sunday afternoon’s practice that wrapped up week one of the Ragin’ Cajuns’ preseason football camp.Head coach Rickey Bustle said the heat had something to do with that.But Derace James had a hand in those problems, too.The senior defensive end was on the field for only three plays in a seven-minute offense-vs.-defense period, and personally blew up two of those plays for a Cajun defense that dominated play once again.“Every time we compete against the offense, our goal is to come out on top,” said defensive coordinator Brent Pry. “We want to play at an extremely high mode when we go against those guys, and our execution and tempo was good again today.”In six first-down plays against the top two defenses, the offense managed positive yardage only twice and did not have a play of more than five yards.

UTEP: If the UTEP football team is going to make drastic improvement this year from back-to-back two-win seasons, the Miners might want to shake the generous personality they've developed. UTEP's offense fumbled eight times during 11-on-11 action Sunday, the first day of practice in full pads at Camp Socorro. It was oddly reminiscent of watching last years team. And the team the year before that.

New Mexico St: Dale will look to team with guards Nick Cole and Steve Subia to form a solid middle of the line. "We'll be physical and we'll be aggressive," Dale said. "Between me, Nick and Steve, I think we are over 1,000 pounds and we have experience. We take great pride as a line in being physical and working hard to make our offense work.

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